Canning of pineapple began in Baltimore in the mid-1860s, but this fruit was imported from the Caribbean, not Hawaii. Pineapple canning in Hawaii first began with the quickly defunct Kona Fruit Preserving Co. in 1882, and it was not until 1901 that James D. Dole founded Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Company. Dole's company flourished, and as a result Dole's can credited as a major contribution to the rapid growth of the canned pineapple industry.

By the 1920s, canned pineapple was readily available and by 1930 Hawaii was leading the world in the production of canned pineapple. By 1933 there was also a rapid growth in sales of canned pineapple juice, an important by-product which increased industry profits after the Great Depression. However, by the end of World War II, the industry had changed. New competitors emerged and cheap foreign canneries eventually replaced all the canneries on Hawaii. Today, only fresh pineapples are grown in Hawaii, and mostly for local consumption. Nevertheless, Hawaii's pineapple legacy is so strong that even today dishes made with pineapple are often called "Hawaiian style".


HFF Challenge:

6. Juicy Fruits (March 11 - March 24) It’s fruits! Do something with fruits. It doesn’t get more simple than that. Bonus points for use of heritage crops and ingredients!

Original Recipe:

Now, HFF technically describes "historical" to mean anything up to 1960, so I'm fudging it a little here with this 1961 recipe. It comes from the Lakeland Ledger, a newspaper based in Florida. 

The Challenge:

4. Sweets for the Sweet (February 12 - February 25) It’s sugar, and maybe spice, and definitely everything nice. Test out a historic recipe for sweets, sweetmeats and candies - but don’t let them spoil your appetite!

The Recipe:

Valentine Crunch
Yield: 1 pound

3/4 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup coconut, optional
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

Melt margarine in a heavy saucepan. Add sugar and combine well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is well blended and begins to bubble. Add water and corn syrup and mix well. Continue cooking mixture over low heat, stirring frequently, until 290 degrees F. registers on a candy thermometer or until a drop in cold water "cracks" or is brittle. Remove from heat.

Stir in nuts, coconut, and rum extract. Pour out onto a cooky sheet. Cool to room temperature. Melt semi-sweet chocolate pieces over boiling water. Spread evenly over candy and set aside until firm. When firm, break into pieces

The Verdict:
Unfortunately, it seems that I've already got my recipe for challenge 24, "Redo". I'm not sure if it was the temperature or the corn syrup substitution, but my candy went from liquid and glossy to thick and crumbly. There was no "crunch" at all. I hoped it would keep together well once it cooled down, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. Also, I found it way too sweet for my tastes - I think maybe having the chocolate mixed in instead of just on top might help...on the other hand, Mr. Man really loved it!

Notes:

* I can't get corn syrup here, so I tried using mizuame.

* I didn't have a thermometer, so I used the cold water method.

* I used almonds and peanuts as my nuts.

* I forgot the rum extract, so I sprinkled some on top at the last minute. I couldn't really taste it.

Sources:
Lakeland Ledger, February 9, 1961

NO. 18. LEMON CAKE. (Finest ever.) Mrs.

Clara Moulton, Loura, Cal,--Take one good

cup sugar, one-half cup butter, three eggs,

(save the yolk of one,) one-half cup milk, two

cups of flour, one tablespoon baking powder,

jelly between layers, one cup cold water, one

cup sugar; the rind and juice of one large

lemon, one tablespoon corn starch, heaping

with the yolk of one egg and a little butter,

and a little water. Put in the corn starch and

yolk when it commences to boil and cool it

before spreading the layers.

The Verdict:

Delicious!
The cake was a bit dense, but very soft and a wonderful texture. There was a bit of a crunchy crust on top of the cake, but I actually kind of like the extra crunch thrown in there. The cake itself was a bit bland, but it wasn't bad. I think it could have benefitted from a bit of vanilla is all.
The curd was lovely and bright. I ended up adding waaaaay more cornstarch, partially due to it not thickening up and partially due to a huge mistake! But it turned out really great and the perfect consistency.
Overall, my whole family loved this cake! We ate it with fresh whipped cream, but its just fine on its own too.

Baking notes: I used cake margarine instead of butter because it was what I had on hand. Also, my measuring cup may be different from North American measurements and I used my weird little convection oven to bake.

Modernized Version:

(Adapted from the Los Angeles Times Cook Book No. 2)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs (save one yolk)
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
juice and rind of one lemon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a cake pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and milk and mix until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder, mix well, and pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake the cake. It took around an hour for me, but I have a weird oven.
4. Let the cake cool and prepare the filling.
5. In a saucepan, mix the water, sugar, and lemon juice and rind. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the butter, egg yolk, and cornstarch to the filling. Whisk well to combine.
7. When the filling has thickened, remove from heat and let it cool before filling the cake.

For each serving of Breakfast-in-a-Glass put 1 cup milk and 1/3 cup cool, cooked oatmeal in Mixer or other container.

Add 1/3 cup crushed strawberries (fresh or frozen) or other fruit; add sugar to taste and vanilla if desired.

Blend in Mixer or blender...or use electric or hand beater until smooth. Serve immediately.

The first thing I did was make the oatmeal. I was annoyed by the extra step and too lazy to bother looking up how to properly make oatmeal, so I threw a handful in a bowl, added what looked like enough milk, and zapped it in the microwave for one minute. It came out cooked, so that was a pleasant surprise. I added the cooked oatmeal, milk, and some frozen strawberries to my blender, along with a bit of vanilla and about two teaspoons of sugar. I whizzed that until it looked smooth.
Taste-wise, this was actually not bad. I could definitely taste the oatmeal, but I didn't mind. However, texture-wise this really bothered me. The oatmeal didn't completely blend in, so it was basically strawberry milk with chunks. Not so yummy. That said, Little Y loved it and happily drank the entire glass. I think that if the oatmeal had been completely blended I would drink this again by choice, so I give this recipe four stars on that condition.

(Adapted from a Quaker Oats advertisement, found at jonwilliamson.com)

The original recipe is good!

Remove from each tomato the pips and watery substance it contains; put the tomatoes in a saucepan with a small piece of butter, pepper, salt, thyme and a bay leaf, and a few tablespoonfuls of gravy or stock, keep stirring until they are reduced to a pulp, then strain through a sieve, and pour over macaroni already boiled soft and cover with grated cheese; bake until a light brown.

The Verdict:

It's okay. It mostly just tastes like sugar - the orange flavour is very subtle. Mr. Man and I decided on 3 stars, because it was edible but not that great overall. This recipe does get points for simplicity, though, although I recommend an extra pair of hands for the pulling.